Memory
by piperspal
Summary: Hmmm...I guess you'll just have to read it! Eventual WyattXOC, rated M for attempted rape scene and some language. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

"He WHAT!?" 17-year-old Wyatt Halliwell shouted, "I'll kill him. Absolutely kill him..."

"Wy, calm down," Chris hissed at him "you'll wake her up, and Tim and Mel just got her to lay down." His brother could be such a pain in the ass when it came to her. So could he, of course, but that was beside the point ...right now, he had to try to stop his brother from going after Mark. He did not succeed in stopping her brother. He took off the second she was asleep.

"Let me get this straight," Wyatt struggled to get his temper under control. "Mark Wilson took her to a party, and..."

"Wy, get it together, bro. Seriously. You getting into it with Mark, not gonna help her at the moment. So, I'll say it for you. Yes. Mark took her to a party. Yes, he put something in her drink, and yes, when I got there, she looked pretty out of it." One look at his panicked brother confirmed what Chris had been sensing for months --- he liked her. Really liked her...

Mark was dead meat.

When Alicia woke up a few hours later, the first thing she noticed was the MAJOR throbbing in her head. Why was she in Wyatt's room?

Right, she thought. Parents. Out of town. She got up to get a glass of water, and felt herself falling to the floor...

"whoa, there. Having a little trouble standing, are we?" Wyatt smiled at her as she clutched his arm for support, trying not to let his anger show.

"Matty?" She tried to shake the foggy feeling out of her head. "What the hell..."

Wyatt smiled at the nickname. She hadn't called him Matty for years. She must really feel like shit. "Yeah, it's me. You ok?"

"Uh-huh. Sure. You wanna tell me why I feel like I got hit by a truck? Oooh, let me guess. Demon attack?" She glanced at Wyatt, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"You don't remember? You were at..." He was interrupted by a loud ringing.

"Oh my God, make it stop. Just break the damn thing. My head is about to explode...please, Wy, just make it stop." She scrunched up her nose, and Wyatt laughed as he orbed the phone to himself.

"I can't break it, Kit. What if it's your parents, or Tim calling? At least see who it is first."

"Can you just get it? If it's mom and dad tell them I'm sleeping or something. Was I drinking? Cause I gotta tell ya, this feels like a hangover to me..." She sat down on the bed so he could answer the phone. He looked at the caller ID, and saw...Mark.

With a quick smile at Alicia, he walked into the hall, careful to shut the door behind him.

"Hello, Mark."

"Uh...Wyatt?" shit.

"Do. Not. Call. Her. Again. Ever. If you come near her again, you'll have to answer to me." Chris stepped into the hall just in time to hear the last part of the conversation, and see his brother snap the phone closed.

"Nicely done. So...you gonna tell Kit you're in love with her?" He grinned as Wyatt turned a little red.

"What? I'm not...I don't...ok, maybe I do, but now is not exactly the best time...Toph."

"Uh-huh."

Wyatt shook his head at Chris. "Smart ass."

"Who, me? Never." Chris glanced back at his brother as he headed downstairs, "She need anything? Food? Water? Aspirin?"

"Water. Please," said Alicia as she leaned on the door frame, and looked pointedly at Chris. "And why are you being called a smart ass this time?"

"Do I need a reason?" Wyatt asked, giving Chris a look that clearly said 'speak and you die'. Alicia smiled at Chris as he stuck out his tongue and proceeded down the stairs.

"Who was on the phone?"

Wyatt's jaw clenched. He couldn't keep it from her...could he? Nope, he thought. She always finds out.

Always.

"It was Mark Wilson. You know, from school, the guy from the football team, dark hair, blue eyes..." He stopped at the look she gave him. "What?"

"You have a crush on the guy or something?" she laughed and said dramatically, "Dark hair, blue eyes...I know who Mark Wilson is, Wy."

_Apparently not._

"What did he want?"

_Oh shit. _"Homework assignment?" _Good cover_.

She raised her eyebrow. "Homework?"

_Idiot_, thought Wyatt. _When was the last time anyone saw Mark doing homework? ...Never._

Chris sauntered up the steps with a sandwich and a glass of water. "Here you go. Mom made me come back with a sandwich. She says, and I quote, 'Eat it, or I'm coming up there to find out what's going on.' " He grinned at his best friend, "And you know she'll do it, too."

"Gimme the sandwich, smart ass."

-------------

_Alicia closed her eyes, panic setting in._

_Get off me, asshole, she wanted to scream, but the words wouldn't come. What the hell..._

_Mark was kissing her neck, and had both her hands pinned against the wall with one of his own. The other hand roamed smoothly across her body as he pressed himself against her. She stared at the grouping of family photos on the wall across from her, willing her eyes to focus. _

_"Kiss me," he breathed into her ear. His breathing was getting quicker and his free hand was slipping under her shirt as she tried to get her bearings. _

_"Wha..." She tried to push him away, but tripped over her own two feet as he caught her mouth with his._

_"Just finding out what all the fuss is about, love," He whispered through his kiss, "Those Halliwell boys can't seem to get enough of you...thought I should find out for myself."_

_She tried once more to push him away, tears streaming down her face, and as he kissed her again, she bit down on his lip. Hard._

_"Ow..." he hissed, slapping her across the face, "You little bitch."_

-------------

"GET OFF!!!" she yelled into the darkened room.

All at once, it seemed, the Halliwell household orbed into Wyatt's room, noticing her shaking hands and teary eyes.

"What the..." _Paige._

"You, ok, kiddo?" _Leo and Piper._

"Where's the demon?" _Phoebe, Mel, and Coop._

"Are you hurt?" _Henry, Jr..._

"I'm gonna kill that bastard." _...Wyatt and Chris._

"Sorry, guys...just a nightmare, I guess..." Alicia said, trying to calm her breathing.

_Or a memory_, Chris said telepathically to Wyatt, who looked like he wanted to hit something.

Piper noticed the look between her boys, and decided it was time to intervene. "Ok. Phoebe, you and Mel, stay here with Alicia. Everyone else, downstairs. Now."

"Mom.." pleaded Wyatt.

"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell, don't even try it. Down. Stairs. NOW."

--------

She was terrified. Phoebe could feel it rolling off her in waves. Whatever the dream was about, it was scaring the crap out of her.

"Alicia?" Phoebe started, but a movement from Mel caught her eye...oh, yeah. Something major was going on here. Her daughter had that look. Like the cat that swallowed the canary.

Downstairs, Piper was not doing much better. "So, who would like to go first? Chris? Wyatt??"

Wyatt bit his lip, while Chris looked at his shoes...and then at Wyatt.

"Something you would like to share with the class, Chris?" Piper was quickly losing her patience. This was bad. She could tell.

"Well..." Chris started, "Alicia had a date tonight, with a guy from the football team..."

Piper nodded. She knew this already. But it did not prepare the room for what he said next.

"...We think he tried to force her to...you know..." Chris fumbled with the words he did not want to think about.

Piper gasped, and Coop sank into the nearest chair as he finished the sentence with the words neither of the boys could bring themselves to say, "...you think he tried to rape her."

Back upstairs, Phoebe was beginning to come to the same conclusion.

"So, Alicia, you remember going to the party...and flashes of Mark kissing you...but no memory of getting here afterward? And Mel, you and Tim and Chris found her at the party, with this Mark kid, and he was kissing her?"

"Yeah, Mom. And she seemed pretty out of it at the time...sorry, Kit." Mel said sheepishly.

"Why? You pretty much saved my ass, there, pal. Thanks," Alicia said, glancing at Phoebe. "What is it?"

"Well, it's just that, you weren't drinking, right?"

"Right."

"So...the question is, why were you so out of it that you couldn't even push him away from you?"

Noooo...he couldn't have...could he? "He put something in my drink...he had to have...so, my dream, you're saying it's real?"

"I dunno, sweetie, I think it could be." Phoebe said quietly.

Great. Just great.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

It was rare, at 8:00 on a Saturday morning, to find no movement in the Halliwell manor. But, given the previous night's events, it was pretty much called for. Alicia slid quietly out of the bed, past Wyatt, who was sleeping in the chair across the room, and crept down the stairs. She started some coffee, and looked through the fridge for stuff to make omlettes. Eggs...cheese...bacon...mushrooms...peppers...she piled things into her arms and closed the door.

"Morning, sunshine..." Wyatt began, "Want some help?"

"Sure, if you think you can avoid setting the house on fire," she deadpanned.

"Hey. I only did that once. I was 11, and it was really Chris' fault anyway." Wyatt protested.

"Okaaaay, if you say so," Alicia smiled, remembering that day, and suddenly she found she couldn't meet Wyatt's gaze.

_He knows...about Mark. About you. And he is going to hate you..._ The words came to her in a whisper, making her cringe.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Wyatt touched her arm, and was surprised when she flinched.

"Nothing, Wyatt, I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

Uh-oh. She never called him Wyatt. Usually it was Wy, or Halliwell, or Matty. She only said Wyatt when she was mad. Or scared...wait, she flinched when he touched her arm...was she scared of him? What the hell?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. Are you shocked by this? Well, we'll just have to learn to live with the disappointment, I guess.

**Chapter 2**

_Fear is a funny thing...used positively, it can make you stronger, more cautious, more confident. The reverse of that, of course, is that it can make you reckless, paranoid, and it can paralyze you...overtake your life, if you let it. Our fears drive us, haunt us, cause us to lose focus... _

Mark breathed in the damp air of the underworld as he smiled to himself..._mission accomplished. Those Halliwells would never know what hit them. _He was gaining power rapidly now. Evil was rallying around him. The Underworld had been a mess over the last 10 years or so, since the Charmed ones had scattered them. They were leaderless. Unfocused. And then, at last, he had come into his own. He was truly his father's son. Only with more power.

"My Leige?"

"Yes, Nebiros?"

"Shall we begin?"

"Not just yet. Let their fear for her take hold of them. They will become reckless, especially the Twice Blessed. His feelings for her cloud his judgement, and that will affect his powers." Mark closed his eyes thoughtfully. This was almost too easy.

-----------------------------

"Can I at least go to Magic School?" Alicia pleaded over breakfast, "I mean, really, guys. I'm fine. A little sore, and a little confused, but I'm ok."

"We just don't want you to be alone, kiddo," Leo said, taking a seat at the table.

Alicia smiled at his concern. _He's gonna be calling me kiddo when I'm 30, I think. _"I know, but you all have things going on today, and there's a football game tonight, and..."

Chris choked on his eggs. "Oh, Helll, no. You're not going to the game, are you kidding?"

"Why not?" Henry asked.

"Because Mark is on the football team, Uncle Henry. And Chris is right, Alicia. You can't go." Wyatt spoke softly, the scene from earlier that morning still playing in his mind. "I'll take you to Magic School after breakfast, if you want, ok?" Something wasn't quite right here, he just wasn't sure what.

_She doesn't trust you_, said a little voice in his head. _You're her best friend - you love her - and she doesn't trust you_.

"Sure." Alicia flashed Wyatt her brightest smile. "And then I'll see you at the game later, ok? I'll be ready to go to Magic School in an hour." And with that, she took her plate to the sink, and walked out of the kitchen.

"Wait...what? No, no, no. You're not going!" Wyatt called after her. Piper and Phoebe shared a look, and tried rather unsuccessfully, to hide their smiles.

An hour later, Wyatt found Alicia with Mel and Henry, Jr. in the living room, looking at pictures. "Ready?" He said as he conjured the door with a grin.

"Uh-huh. What are you grinning about?"

"Just remembering the first time you were at Magic School..."

--------------------

_"Shhh...just do it, Wy." Chris whispered._

_"I'm going, Toph, gimme a minute!" Wyatt whispered back._

_A 10-year-old Alicia stood behind them shaking her head in complete disbelief. "You guys are nuts, you know that?"_

_The Halliwell boys just looked at each other and grinned. "Yup." And with that, they grabbed Alicia's hand and pulled her through the door, and into Magic School._

_"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MINDS?!? I'M NOT ALLOWED IN MAGIC SCHOOL. __**Hellooo, mortal!" **__Alicia grabbed Wyatt by the ear, and pulled him toward her, hissing "If we get caught, you are sooo dead, Halliwell..."_

_"Relax, Kit, you'll blend in." _

_"Really, Chris? Have a lot of kids with no powers at Magic School, do ya?"_

_"...Whatcha, doin' there, guys? Wyatt, hellooo..."_

_"Hey there, Aunt Paige, we're just...aw, crap." Wyatt and Chris turned to face their aunt, who was smirking at them and trying not to laugh._

_"Alicia, hun, can you wait here a second? I need to have a word with my nephews...move it, you two!" Paige herded them into an empty classroom across the hall. "Are you kidding me with this? You're sneaking her into magic school? I know she's your best friend, and she's like family to us, but guys..."_

_"...Aunt Paige, she __**is **__like family, and, um...don't you think she should know more about magic? I mean, she's had 'demon-interrupted' dinners with us, she's always with me or Wy, and eventually they could try to use her to get to us...don't you think she should be prepared for that?" Chris said._

_**Nice, bro. Very nice. **_

_**Thanks.**_

_"Ok. You actually have a point there...make sure you remember it when The Elders find out she's here..." and with that, Paige walked back into the hall, leaving two very surprised boys in her wake. _

-----------------------------------

"Oh. You mean when you guys snuck me in?" She smiled, not letting her inner fear show. Did she really want to be alone at Magic School for hours? "Let's go."

It had been a couple of hours since Wyatt had left her to meet with the Elders. Alicia was curled up in the library reading her favorite book, "Crossed, Double-Crossed". It wasn't that the story itself was spectacular, but the story within the story? Got her every time. She was about to close her eyes when she heard footsteps. She turned around expecting to see one of the Halliwells, or a teacher, but there was no one there. Nice, Alicia, she thought to herself. Paranoid much? She turned back to her book, only too see papers ruffle on a table across the room. "Hello?" She whispered.

"Good book?"

Where is that voice coming from?

"You know, Alicia, it's not nice to run out on your dates..."

Nooooo. No freaking way.

"...you could hurt a guy's feelings, ya know." He could sense her mind reeling out of control, panic setting in, immobilizing her. _Perfect_.

"Mark? W-What are you doing here? How did you get here? How do you even know about..."

"Magic? You'd be surprised at what I know."

"_That's _the understatement of the century," she spat back.

Before she could react further, he stretched out his arm, and she flew across the room, hitting the wall with a soft thud. "I have quite a few surprises in store for all of you."

"Chris..." she muttered as she passed out on the cold marble floor.

----------------

"Hey, there. You ok?" Chris lifted Aicia's head onto his lap as he looked around the room. "What happened?"

"Ow. Watch the head, please. **Mark **happened."

Chris stared at his friend. "Um, maybe you hit your head harder than I thought. No way did some idiot football player stumble into Magic School."

"Yeah, well he also flung me across the room like a rag doll."

"He has powers?" Chris rolled his eyes "Why does that not surprise me. Let's get you back to the manor, and we'll check the Book of Shadows."

-----------------

Wyatt had had enough. This was nothing new. He crossed his arms and sighed as the Elders continued their "a-great-evil-is-out-to-get-your-family" speech.

"We have been sensing the approach of a new evil." _...No way. Really? "_Our contacts lead us to believe that there will soon be a new source, and that he/she is particularly out for revenge on the Halliwell family." _ I am shocked and amazed... _"I understand that there was a situation involving a friend of yours...we believe they may be related." _Whoa. Hold up..._ "We are also assigning a new elder to act as a temporary go between..."

"Oh Helllll, no..."

"...in addition to the whitelighters in your family. A few months ago, we were made aware of your intention to pursue a relationship with...Alicia, was it?" Wyatt nodded. _Where the hell was this going? _"And we decided that in the interest of keeping her safe, you would remain friends, correct?" _Could this conversation be any more absurd?_ "It has recently come to our attention that prehaps we..._misjudged _the significance of your ...ahem..._friendship, _with Alicia, and it will be this Elder's responsibility to determine our next move where that is concerned."

"Wait...huh?" He looked at the Elders in complete disbelief. "You're telling me that all of a sudden you're changing your minds? Why now? And you think you can just snap your fingers and BOOM, we're together? You are out of your minds!"

Wyatt looked like he was about to blow something up. _How dare they try to run his life! And Alicia's! Did he want to be with her? __**Obviously**__. Did she want to be with him? __**He thought so**__. But neither of them were going to do things simply because the Elders said so!_

Without another word, Wyatt orbed back to the manor before he lost that famous Hallliwell temper.

"Welllll...that was interesting. Anyone else need a drink?" He walked into the Halliwell-filled kitchen, leaving a flabbergasted bunch of Elders staring at thin air.

---------------------------------------

"Let me get this straight," Piper fumed as the toaster blew up involuntarily "They're anticipating a new source, and now, after _**months **_of asking you to bury your feelings..."

"Mom..."

"Wyatt, take me up there, right now. Stupid Elders..." Piper muttered.

Before Wyatt could say another word, white orbs appeared in the kitchen...When Phoebe saw the person they were forming into, her head hit the table with a loud smack. "You have got to be kidding me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As Alicia and Chris walked into the kitchen, her eyes involuntarily rested on Wyatt. A few months ago she could've sworn he wanted to be with her, but just as she had allowed herself to believe it, he backed off. She smiled as his eyes met hers, filling with concern as he noticed the bruise on her face. _Later_, she mouthed. Chris prepared to tell everyone about their newest discovery, just as Phoebe's head hit the table.

"Natalie? What are you..." Piper trailed off as the Charmed ones exchanged a look. SHE was the Elder assigned to them? Wait, she was..._an Elder? _

"Piper, Leo, Phoebe. Paige...I don't believe we've met. And these are your families? Blessed Be," she said with a nod in the general direction of the rest of the group.

"Now then," she continued, "My role here is simple. I am an observer."

"Yeah, we've heard that one before," interrupted Phoebe.

My purpose is to determine the pros and cons of the Elders allowing the rules to be broken once again. I will judge fairly, of course; I feel I must tell you, however, that I did not approve the first time, and I still am unable to see how the romantic pairing of a whitelighter and a charge is beneficial to either..." Natalie was interrupted again as the youngest Halliwells, 9-year-old twins Prue and Penny, came running into the kitchen.

"Uncle Leo, can we play video games upstairs?"

"Of course you can. Do you know how to hook them up?" Leo smiled at them; he loved having kids around.

"Yeah," Prue said, "but they're in the closet, and it's dark in there, and Riley said that a demon came out of his closet last week..."

Chris glared at Phoebe's 12-year-old from across the room. "You don't have to be worried just because Riley is. He used to think his Teddy Bear was alive."

Penny giggled. "Yeah, but still...it is pretty dark up there..."

"You know, that used to be my room...I'm pretty sure I put a spell on the closet so nothing could live there...but let's go check it out, just in case, ok?" Wyatt held out his hands, and the three of them orbed upstairs.

"Awww," Paige sighed, as her nephew once again appeared in the kitchen.

"A spell on your closet, huh?" Alicia rolled her eyes and grinned at Mel and Henry Jr.

"What? Chris did it too, things used to bang on our closet doors sometimes, so we wrote a spell to keep magical creatures out..." Wyatt stopped, seeing looks on his cousins' faces. "What?"

"Um, well...that was us..." Mel said, cracking up, "We used to orb/heart into your closets to scare you...sorry?"

The rest of the family was doing their best to hide their smiles, while Natalie looked horrified.

"I see you have passed on your blatant disregard for the rules of magic to the rest of your family. And Leo, I thought at least you would have better prepared them for this. I see that my theory was correct - your unions have brought about powerful witches, but irresponsible ones with no magical discipline."

Paige snickered, and Leo rolled his eyes. All of a sudden, Wyatt winced, and his hand flew to his head. "What the hell -- it's like I have 10 more voices in my head!"

Natalie smiled sweetly, "Actually, it's three more voices. I thought you were ready to take on a few more charges. You'll link to their information shortly."

Wyatt closed his eyes as the familiar sensation hit him. _Ok...Mudama Ibo, Africa, Male, future whitelighter...Brendan Dearden, Ireland, Male, Witch...Alicia...what? _"Um, why is Alicia my charge?"

"Your WHAT?" Alicia laughed. "No way. I'm not a witch. Or a future whitelighter. So...sorry, but no. There's no way."

Natalie stared at them both, "Are you insinuating that the Elders have made a mistake?"

"Well, no..." Alicia tried to backpeddle, "...just that maybe Mr. Twice-Blessed here is mistaken..." She shot Wyatt a look as she bit her lip. "Right?"

The older Halliwell fought back a grin and shook his head. "Nope. Sorry."

Natalie pursed her lips as she continued, "And do you already know the rest of your new charges?"

"No."

"Well, you should go introduce yourself then. Why don't you take Christopher along, just in case you need him. Good luck!" Natalie waved him off, and the boys disappeared.

-----------------

About an hour later, Wyatt and Chris entered the manor only to hear raised voices in the conservatory.

"Any feelings you have for Wyatt must take a backseat to the safety of _all _his charges. The sarcasm and 'witty banter' have to stop. You must speak to your whitelighter in a more respectful manner!"

"Oh, for God's sake Natalie, BACK OFF!"

I most certainly will NOT back off, Piper. They may be friends, but he is, FIRST AND FOREMOST, her whitelighter, and the Twice-Blessed, and as such, commands a certain degree of reverence!"

"REVERENCE??? Please tell me you're joking. She's joking, right?" Alicia shot a look to Piper and Coop as Paige and Mel watched from the couch.

"No, I am not. You are his charge," Natalie spat out. "You must obey his guidance, and expect that he not show up for every little problem."

"Accept guidance? Sure. Obey? I'm thinking no. Not so much. And I don't call him every time I have a problem. For example, I'm having a MAJOR problem right now, but am I yelling for Wyatt OR Chris? No. I. Am. Not. Instead, I am sitting here, listening to you, as respectfully as I can manage." Alicia snapped as she inspected her fingernails. Who the hell was Natalie to interfere in whatever it was that she felt for Wyatt?

Wyatt shot Chris a look, and, trying to conceal their laughter, they headed into the conservatory.

"Sooo...how's it going in here?" Chris asked his mom, trying not to smile.

"Oh, we were just discussing Alicia's 'lack of reverence' when addressing her oh-so-famous whitelighter."

"Alicia, Mel, you ready to go? The mall closes in two hours," Phoebe popped her head into the room. "I'm just gonna grab my purse!"

The girls said a quick goodbye and started out of the room, but Alicia paused as she passed Wyatt and Natalie.

"Goodbye Natalie," she said, and turning to Wyatt, she bowed her head slightly. "Blessed One..."

He bit his lip, trying to conceal a smile. Piper snorted from across the room.

-------------------

Two days later:

The Halliwells gathered in the kitchen, waiting for Chris and Leo to start the campfire in the backyard. Prue, Penny, and Riley were chasing each other around the garden as Alicia and Mel watched.

"I'm gonna get a blanket from the laundry room," Alicia said, shivering. "You want anything?"

Mel shook her head.

Alicia jogged into the house, and shook her head at what she was hearing.

"...has your relationship changed any in the last couple of days?" Natalie grilled Wyatt as Henry, Jr. sat on the counter, observing. How the Twice-Blessed was avoiding stuffing her into the oven, he had no idea.

"Does it matter?" Wyatt sighed, exasperated. Does she ever _shut _up?

"Well, I just want to be sure that there has been no inappropriate behavior..." Natalie's lecture was interrupted as a demon shimmered in. Alicia chuckled at the look of relief that washed over her friend's face.

"Duck!" Henry, Jr. yelled, and Alicia dropped to the floor as Natalie orbed out of the way of a fireball. Wyatt turned to blow him up, but paused as he saw the demon reach for Alicia.

"I don't think so, buddy. Either way you're gonna die -- you even breathe on her, you die slowly and painfully."

The demon hesitated for a split second, but it was enough time for Alicia to grab his leg and pull him to the floor, Wyatt blowing him up on the way down.

"Nice," Henry, Jr. commented. "Marshmallow?" he held out the bag to Natalie with a smile.

"You hesitated," Natalie said to Wyatt. "He reached for her, and you hesitated..."

"Oh, come on." Alicia broke in, "I'm fine. Not a scratch."

"Sure, this time," the elder commented dryly. "This is why whitelighters are forbidden to date their charges!"

_And there it is_, Wyatt thought.

Alicia took one look at Wyatt's unsure expression and turned on Natalie.

"Look. You have made your opinion crystal clear, but I really don't give a rat's ass how you feel about the possibility of Wyatt and I being together. Whether or not he kissed me this morning? None of your business. You wanna give him 30 new charges to 'prove' that I can't handle him orbing of to wherever 24 hours a day? Ok by me, but he's probably going to have something to say about it. You think that Piper and Leo shouldn't have been allowed to get married, have kids...whatever. Kind of a moot point now, don't you think? I don't pretend to know what goes on in your head, but I grew up around this family. I spend weekends here when my parents are out of town. I've been here for demon-infested dinners and interrupted kisses, and if you're trying to make me think twice about a relationship with Wyatt, you're gonna have to do better than that," Alicia said with a wink, grabbing the blanket as she walked out the back door. Wyatt, Henry Jr., and Natalie's jaws hit the floor.

"Okaaay...I gotta say, Wy, I totally love her...so if you're not gonna..." said Henry Jr., as Wyatt slapped the back of his head and followed her out the door shaking his head.

Wyatt took a second to let his eyes adjust to the darkness before he scanned the yard for her. After a second, he spotted her heading for the swing by the garden and smiled as he saw her curl up under the blanket and close her eyes.

"She loves you, you know..." Coop had been watching his nephew most of the evening, and decided to give him a little nudge in the right direction.

"Hmmm?" Wyatt was lost in thought, and didn't quite catch what his uncle was saying.

"He said, she loves you," Henry joined in, sharing a look with his brother-in-law.

"And you obviously want to be over there with her right now, so why aren't you?"

"She's exhausted, Uncle Coop, the last thing she needs is more talking."

"So don't talk," Henry slyly suggested.

"Uncle Henry!!!"

"I'm just sayin'..."

"He's right, kiddo...sort of. Just sit with her. Be there in case _she _wants to talk to _you_. Trust me."

Wyatt sighed, running a hand through his blond curls. Here goes...

_You ok?_

_Yeah, bro. I'm fine._

_Liar._

_Shut up._

_What's the problem? A few days ago you couldn't keep your hands off her! Is Natalie getting to you? We could always try and vanquish her..._

_Haha. I just don't wanna mess this up...I love her. And it scares the shit out of me._

_Hmmm...me too. You're in love with her. Miracle of miracles. _

_I'll say it again...shut up._

Chris caught his eye across the yard. _No snappy comeback? You're in big trouble._

Wyatt leaned over her, tucked a stray piece of brown hair behind her ear and whispered, "Hey there. You ok?"

"Spectacular."

"Uh-huh. Want some company?"

"Sure." Alicia sat up to make room for Wyatt on the swing. "What's up?"

"Nothing, just wanted to check on you. That was quite a performance you gave in the kitchen..."

"Enjoyed that, did ya?"

_You defending me? You have no idea... _

"I did, as a matter of fact. And so did Henry. I believe his exact words were ' I gotta say, Wy, I totally love her.' " Wyatt chuckled remembering the look on his face.

"Hey!" She poked him with her elbow. "Is it really so hard to believe? I'm totally loveable..." She shot him a grin, and started to get up, but the look on Wyatt's face stopped her. "What?"


	4. Chapter 4

He leaned in, but something stopped him from claiming the kiss he desired. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you," Wyatt ventured.

_And you thought he wanted you? _The voice whispered in her head_. You don't stand a chance. Not anymore..._

"When? At the party? That wasn't your fault, Wy. I mean, I know we haven't had time to talk about much since the whole Natalie thing started, but it wasn't your fault."

"Maybe not, but I --" Wyatt's voice faded as she cut in.

"Wyatt, come on. There's no way that you could have known he was a demon..."

"I should've..." Wyatt stopped. "He's a WHAT?!"

_She doesn't trust you... _

"A...demon..." _uh-oh_. "He attacked me at Magic School. That's how I got the bruise on my cheek...Chris didn't tell you any of this?" Alicia whispered, confused.

"Chris?" _She told Chris? _

_She didn't tell you, though, did she. How are you going to keep her safe, if she won't tell you the truth? _The unwelcome thought rattled in his head. _She'll be dead, and it will be your fault... _

"Well, yeah. I called him when the demon - Mark, whatever his demon-name may be - flung me across the library. He left right before Chris showed up, and when we got to the manor, Natalie was there, and I guess I just forgot to mention it."

"Of course. So, you could've been dying, and you called Chris? _I'm _your whitelighter. And, a _demon _attacked you in Magic School, and you don't think that's worth mentioning before now? I don't believe this!" Wyatt's voice rose with each realization.

"Hold on there," Alicia stood. "First of all, you were not my whitelighter yet. Second, I called for Chris because you were 'up there', he was available, and we're friends! And third, I forgot to mention the whole demon thing, because I got distracted, by THIS!!" Alicia seethed, pointing between them.

"What the HELL is that supposed to mean?" By now, they had attracted the attention of the other family members in the yard, who were staring at them in awe.

"_This_, Wy," she said softly. "Natalie being here, talking about whether or not we should be together. You being mad that I called Chris for help, instead of you. The fact that you hate me because I let Mark use me to get to all of you." She turned then, and quietly walked into the house, leaving a stunned Wyatt in her wake.

He turned to go after her, but paused as his phone rang. "WHAT!"

_**"Hello, Wyatt." **__No fucking way. Wyatt's stomach churned..._

"Mark?"

_**"I was just wondering if you intended to keep your promise..."**_

"What promise?"

_**"Well, if I recall correctly, the last time I went after your friend, you promised that if I ever did it again, I would have to deal with you, did you not?" **__The demon smiled, knowing he was getting closer to acheiving what his father could not, __**"I **__**always **__**keep my promises." **_

_click_.

"DAMN IT!" Wyatt ran into the house, Chris right behind him. "I need the book. Now!" And suddenly, in a flurry of orbs the Book of Shadows appeared in his hands.

As he telekenetically flipped through the pages, Chris cornered him in the kitchen. "What the hell was that about?"

Wyatt's blue eyes flew to his brother's green ones. "Which part? The part where Alicia and I seem to be paranoid and angry as hell, or the part where Mark, who you failed to tell me was a demon, was just calling to say 'I dare you to come after me'?"

"Um, either one, I guess."

Just then, the Charmed Ones walked into the kitchen. "Mark Wilson, from your football team in High School? THAT Mark Wilson? He's a demon? A powerful demon?" Piper shrieked.

"Guys..."

"I guess so, mom," Chris sighed, "Wyatt said the Elders seemed pretty worried about it..."

"GUYS!!" Wyatt grinned sheepishly as they all turned to stare at him. "I think I found something..."

_Chris._

_Yeah, bro?_

_Look at this...ring any bells?_

_No way, Wy. It can't be...can it? _

_I dunno, but if he's related to this demon..._

_Mark is the new evil..._

_...and wants to be the new source._

"And now, he's made his first move..." Wyatt said aloud, earning stares from every person in the room.


End file.
